


Watermarks and Heartbeats

by mikimouze16



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Artist Harry, Artist Harry Potter, Confident Harry Potter, Creative Harry Potter, F/M, Ginny is a good friend, Good Severus Snape, Good Slytherins, Happy Harry, Ignored Harry Potter, Neglected Harry Potter, Parent Severus Snape, Sad Harry, Severus Snape Adopts Harry Potter, Severus Snape Has a Heart, Sirius Black Has Issues, Sirius Black Has PTSD - Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Slight Ron Weasley Bashing, Some Sirius Black bashing, harry has anxiety
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-28
Updated: 2020-02-16
Packaged: 2020-05-28 13:05:55
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 15,762
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19394749
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mikimouze16/pseuds/mikimouze16
Summary: It started with Severus noticing when no one else did. It started with one event, one determined teenage boy, and one man who let go of prejudice.It started with one event, but that's all it took.One event bloomed into trust, a mentor, and happiness for those who never thought they would get it. Now Harry is teaching Severus how to live for himself and Severus is teaching Harry what it's like to have someone to turn to.





	1. Chapter 1

He was beginning to lose hope. That happiness that had bloomed in his chest when he woke up had slowly started fade throughout the day. The excitement that seemed to fill in every fiber of his being was starting to darken. His eyes were shiny and bright when the day started. One could say the stars had decided to rest there, but by noon they had faded away. 

He tried to catch their attention. He’d gone up to Sirius first. He caught him in the hallway after he emerged from the restroom. The man had smiled at his Godson, but before he could have told the man about his exciting news, Sirius had started to talk about his Hogwarts years. Harry had smiled and nodded along. He would open his mouth between’s the man’s breath but when he started to talk he would be spoken over. After the third attempt at trying to explain why he was excited he stopped. He then just hummed at the other man not listening. 

The second person he tried to talk to was Remus. He sat next to his professor from the year before at the dining room table. He was flipping through the print and moving pictures of the daily paper. When the paper was finally out of his hands, Harry leaned over to him ready to talk but was cut off. He was cut off by Tonks tripping into the room, seeing Remus, then pulling him away from Harry. Harry sighed frustrated before picking at the bread in front of him. He could feel someone watching him but he didn’t care. 

Molly didn’t give him a chance to speak about anything other than school. When she finally seemed to be done questioning him about that, he felt maybe he could talk to her. Then a group of redheads came in and he was pushed against the wall. He grabbed a glass of orange juice and carefully slipped between the bodies of his friends. He slipped past Severus who had stopped in the hallway watching the loud children before turning and following Harry down the hall. 

He started to talk to Ron about it but once he found out it wasn’t about Quidditch he complained and changed the subject. This was before Harry could get to the good news. 

Minerva had shown up shortly before lunch. She said hello but didn’t make any attempt at a conversation. 

Now he was sitting next to Hermoine who was curled into a ball on the bed. He waited for her to pull her head from her chest before passing her a pain potion. Her hair had been pulled back into a messy and frizzy bun. She was pale and shook when she took the vial from her friend. 

Half the lunch that he had brought her an hour before still sat on her white plate. She had eaten two slices of the apple and half the peanut butter sandwich. Molly had tried to argue about Harry taking food upstairs but he had slipped up when Ginny started to shout at Ron. 

“As I say every time,” He said while taking the empty vial from her fingers, “I wish I could take the pain away.” 

She looked up to him with a smile and patted his cheek, “I know. It makes me happy knowing you care.” Her voice was quiet and laced with pain. 

She dropped her hand and scooted closer to the wall so Harry could lay beside her. After he had gotten comfortable she looked at him sadly. “I’m sorry no one is listening. I know this is a big thing for you.” 

“I should be used to be invisible. I mean the Dursley’s did a great job at pretending that I was.” He watched as his friend’s face dropped. She was the only person that Harry had confided in about what happened in that house. 

“I really wish I could be there,” She told him wrapping an arm around his shoulders and pulling him towards her. 

“You’ll be there in spirit,” He said as she let go, “that’s more than I can say for anyone else.” 

“When do you have to be there?” 

“They want the participants there at four. Doors open at six.” He looked at the clock on the nightstand. He had two hours until he had to leave. 

The next hour and a half were spent talking with Hermonie about runes. He had thankfully changed his electives last minute before starting his third year, much to Ron’s annoyance. He was now taking Runes and Arithmancy with Hermoine. After the first week of taking the class, he was happy he decided to take it. He made easy friends with Susan Bones, Terry Boots, and Lily Moon. He even had a few friendly conversations with Daphne Greengrass. 

He had changed before he decided to sneak out. He was wearing dress pants, dress shoes, a navy blue button shirt, and the ensemble were completed with a solid black tie. Thankfully Hermonie had some extra hair taming potions that he could borrow. He was on the staircase patting his pockets to make sure he had his wand and wallet when someone cleared their voice catching his attention. 

His eyes snapped up to see his potion professor watching him with a raised eyebrow. “Going somewhere, Mr. Potter?” His deep voice drawled. 

“Yes,” He said confidently. 

Snape’s eyes looked him up and down, “I don’t think the Headmaster would be pleased to find out that you left the safety of this godforsaken house for a date.” 

Harry’s cheeks redden in embarrassment, “Um, it’s not a date.” 

“What is so important that entails you leaving the safety of the wards?” Snape asked. When Harry hesitated the teacher attempted another approach. “Does it have to do with what you’ve tried to tell the other’s earlier?” 

Harry froze. So someone had noticed, he thought. He took a deep breath. He then looked straight into his Professors’ eyes. “Several pieces of my artwork have been selected to be featured in a charity exhibition in London.”

He thought that the man would laugh. Ron had when he told his best friend of his hobby in his first year after the troll incident. Harry had shown him the tattered notebook that he kept in his bag. It was stained and bent but he was proud of it. He carried it around with him until it filled up with his ideas and shaky lines. He was so confident about the small book that he felt it safe to show his friend. Ron had taken one look at the pages filled with petals and plants and laughed. Harry had tucked it under his mattressed and cried that night after Ron told him he should draw more manly things like Dean. 

He had become so self-conscious of his work then. He would stay in the furthest corner of the library and draw under candlelight until curfew. He had gotten a new book at this point, one with thick paper and was designed for art. It was one of these nights that Hermoine had found him. He didn’t notice until she exclaimed at his fern her was drawing. She had pulled his sketchbook to her body and traced every line with her eyes remarking about the detail. When she asked why he never showed her, he admitted at how Ron had reacted. She scoffed and told him true friends support each other's hobbies. She happily started a conversation about different artists as they walked back to the common room. 

Snape had stilled and tilted his head. He seemed to be looking at Harry like he’s never seen the teenager before. There was something in his eyes, a fondness? It blinked before straightening up and opening the front door motioning him out.

“Sir?” Harry asked confused while moving onto the front steps. 

“It seems you’re going to go no matter what, I may as well make sure you’re safe.” The man quickly shut the door behind them. “How did you plan on getting there, exactly?”

“Knight bus,” Harry answered. He could have sworn he saw panic cross his professor’s face. It quickly smoothed away but his voice seemed a little tight when he acknowledged the mode of transportation. 

Harry told Snape that the could walk back when they got off and saw the green complexion. There was no protest from the man who had his hands resting on his knees and was breathing heavily. 

They entered the Gallery from a backdoor. There was a man with a clipboard who seemed to know who Harry was. Snape asked the teen who he was and was rewarded with a shrug. It wasn’t until he walked through the back hall into the storage room that he saw a familiar face. 

“Hello Robby,” Harry cheerfully called over several moving heads. The man with dirty blonde hair twisted on his feet until he found the source of the voice. When his eye caught Harry his smile widen. 

“Harry!” Robby cheerfully called back while pushing past a girl who was covered in blue and green tattoos. Once the man with blue eyes managed to get to him, he clapped Harry on the back. “How exciting! I’m so proud of you!” 

Harry’s chest burst with pride. He could help the smile that filled his face. It wasn’t often that someone had told him they were proud, but yet here was Robby doing so with a smile. 

“Robby,” He caught the man’s attention from the redhead that bumped into him, “This is one of my professors at my school.” 

Robby turned and grasped the Potion’s professor hand and shook it firmly, “Robert Tin,” He said cheerfully, “Many just call me Robby,” He added after letting the hand drop. 

“Severus Snape,” the taller man replied. 

“Snape. Snape,” He hummed quietly before snapping his fingers and pointed at the man, “My older brother had you as a teacher for about two years.” 

Snape raised his eyebrows and shot a quick look at Harry before turning back to the man, “Is this a-”

“No,” Robby stopped him. He had guessed where the conversation was going. “This is a non-magical event. My older brother, Mark, just happens to be a wizard.” 

“I got in contact with Mark halfway through my first year and he introduced me to Robby. Mark helps me with my magical things while Robby helps with my muggle things.” 

“And those things are?” Snape asked looking at Harry with a raised eyebrow. 

“We should save this for later,” Robby said when a short blonde woman walked in. She called for everyone to overlook their work to make sure all the titles and framing was correct. 

It didn’t take long for six to roll around have the gallery open. Once the glass doors to the front were opened, men and woman wearing expensive clothing and thick jewelry walked in. Many grabbed a flute of champagne on their way to an art piece. Some grabbed the little finger treats that were being thrust towards them by servers in ties and black aprons. 

Severus had grabbed a flute and was walking around the gallery. The floors were polished concrete and the walls were a stark white. The only color came from the works mounted on the wall or sat on pedestals. He was walking around a colorful morphed sculpture of a man when he looked up and saw some artwork that belonged to Harry. The boy was standing to the side with a glass of water talking with an older gentleman who had white hear and wore a flashy three-piece suit.

He walked up to the work, it was hung directly in the middle of the wall and took up over half of the space from the floor to ceiling. The piece itself was behind a glass frame and a white border that seemed to be slightly thicker on the bottom. He appeared to be looking at a skull that was sitting directly in the middle of a wooden table. Leafy vines that were covered in flowers were growing out of the skull and claiming the space around it. There were pieces of the skull that were broken where a vine had pushed through. The work was painted lightly with strong black outlines. Looking at the plaque he found that it was a watercolor and inked artwork. 

“I did this piece after the whole ordeal with Quirrell in the first year,” Harry said drawing the attention away from his artwork. 

“You did this at eleven?” Severus asked surprised. 

“Well,” Harry drawled, “The first draft I did when I was eleven. I just got into watercolors at the beginning of last year. I really felt connected to this one so I redid it.” 

“It’s well done,” Severus admitted. It was weird for him to compliment the child of his old school enemy but he did feel it was deserved. Then again this night was turning out to be quite enlightening for him. 

Harry beamed at the praise, “Thank you, Professor.” 

Severus wasn’t sure why that made things click in his head but they did. For the first time, Severus could honestly say he saw a genuine smile on the boy. The smiles that the boy gave after a quidditch game seemed forced and awkward. The ones that he wore when award points for reckless behavior were too wide and appeared more like a grimace in his mind. The smile he wore now? It reached his eyes. It lit up his face and seemed to come from his soul. 

He didn’t want praise for things his father would likely do, he wanted praise for things he did. 

After the viewing pieces were actioned off and each artist would declare the charity the profits were going to. Many went to places he wasn’t aware of, smaller charities that needed the help. Harry had declared that half of his profits were going to an organization that he had no idea were. After the small briefing of the charity, Severus deduced it was a research facility for woman’s health. He had declared that it was going to be donated in the name of Hermione Granger. 

The second half of the profits had the man raise his eyebrows. It was a being directed to  _ St. Raphel’s Healers _ . It was a place that he studied potions at for a brief period of time when he was getting his Mastery. It was a small center in France that focused mainly on werewolf health. Severus had created the wolfsbane potion there. Thinking back to the small place he decided that the donation would greatly help their research. 

After the artwork was sold and Harry had picked up some supplies a framed piece of work from Robby that left the gallery through the front door. The decided that they would walk out of the city before apperating close to Grimmauld. 

“It meant a lot that you came,” Harry admitted. His fingers were curled tightly around the frame of his artwork. Harry had been excited about it when Robby placed the wrapped frame in the boy’s hands. Severus hadn’t seen the artwork and was quite curious about it. 

They lapped into silence for a few minutes before Severus cleared his throat catching Harry’s attention, “Would you like to hear some stories of your mother?” 


	2. Chapter 2

Thinking back to the past was painful. It reminded him of the mistakes he made and made the ‘what ifs’ cloud his mind. His mind would always bring up painful experiences and regrettable moments. It was best to let the past be in the past. At least, that was his opinion. 

It wasn’t his opinion the boy wanted. 

So, pushing through the painful taste in his mouth he brought up stories of the boy’s mother. One’s that hurt to think about but he would hope to put a smile on the green-eyed boy. 

“Your mother was a bit of an artist herself,” He started. He thought for a moment before deciding on a memory to tell. “She used to buy books for her friends and draw on the inside cover. A little extra surprise for her friend.” 

Severus still had every book that she ever gave him. The insides would be littered with drawings of the potion classroom or silly surreal bubbles morphing into something new. She only ever did her work in ink. Refusing to add color, “ _ Let the mind fill in what’s missing. It reminds people that they have creativity inside them.” _ She had told him that once when she was sitting outside the potions classroom. Her hair was tucked behind her ear while scribbling away. 

“Was she serious about her art?” 

“Not like you are,” Severus admitted, “She was more focused on her charms. A prodigy she was,” he mused.

“Remus told me some things about mom but he only knew her at school,” Harry confessed. He rearranged his grip on the frame. They had paused at a crosswalk waiting for the light to change. 

“I was friends with her before we went to school,” He admitted after a moment of hesitation. 

Wonder filled the boy’s face. His eyes widen and his lips turned upward at the corners. “Really?” He breathed out excitedly, “What-What was she like? Y’know when she was young?” 

“Stubborn. I daresay you inherited that from her.” At least the boy had the decency to blush. “She cared a lot about was going on around her. She wanted to help all she could. It would be small things from just picking up the neighborhood to helping at the soup kitchen with her mother.

“She used to sit at a small park not too far from her house and feed the birds. Other times she would dance with the wind. She wanted to enjoy the small things. I think it’s what made her so happy.” 

“When did she find out she was a witch?” They had to stop suddenly when a car ran a red light and nearly hit them. Severus snarled at the moving vehicle before continuing across the way. 

“I told her a few years before she got her letter. I had noticed the accidental magic and happily informed her that she was a witch.” He paused remembering her reaction he cringed slightly, “I should have reworded it now that I think back to it.” 

Harry laughed. It was a light airy thing that bounced between the two bodies. It was comforting and urged Severus to continue on even through the dull ache in his chest. 

“Petunia was jealous of it. She always tried to get me in trouble. She never wanted me around her sister. She thought I was corrupting her.” Severus then noticed that Harry had stilled. His foot that was in the progress of the next step returned to the ground as he stared at the potion master. 

“What?” His teacher asked.

“You know Aunt Petunia?” 

“Unfortunately,” He huffed, “She was always a foul one.”

“Hmm,” Harry hummed catching up to the man, “I guess some things never change. She never did like me. Hated that she got stuck with me.” 

This time it was Severus who stopped. His robes swayed around him at the sudden motion. His eyes narrowed at the boy, “You can not be telling me you lived with the disgraceful swine.” 

Harry laughed at the name before answering, “Live. Well usually. They decided they wanted a vacation and didn’t want me to ruin it. That’s why I am at Headquarters.” 

“I was told you were safe and loved,” Severus whispered. The wind caught the words, the swirled around him before reaching Harry’s ears. 

“Loved?” Harry questioned, “Not really no. Safe, from somethings. I mean they kept me inside when the weather was bad and they gave me food sometimes.” 

“Sometimes?” Severus asked shocked. At least it looked like Severus’s version of shock. His eyebrows were raised slightly and there wasn’t a sneer but it wasn’t a happy expression either. 

“Can we not ruin a good night?” Harry asked. He felt embarrassment starting to stain his cheeks. 

“Of course,” His teacher drawled. 

Harry switched the conversation. Taking a deep breath he admitted something that he only every told Hermoine before, “I want to go to art school after Hogwarts.” 

Harry waited with bated breath. He waited for his teacher to tell him that it was a foolish idea. That art wasn’t a real career. That he wouldn’t get anywhere. The words that had been whispered to him throughout the years of his increasing love of paper and inspiration. 

“Do you know where you want to go?” Was the response. 

After a moment of silence from the unexpected response, the artist spoke, “Not yet. I’m actually thinking about a muggle university. I have been taking muggle courses since I started Hogwarts. This way when I graduate Hogwarts I’ll have everything I need to apply.”

“You’re taking muggle courses on top of your Hogwarts one?” Severus asked with a raised eyebrow.

Harry hummed his answer. He let the vibrations settle in his chest before he continued the conversation, “It’s hard. Hermoine has been a lot of help. So have Mark and Robby. I’ve passed all my classes with high marks though.” 

“I’m positive both your parents would be proud of your accomplishments.” 

It was said lightly but hit heavy. Sure, Harry had heard about how his parents would be proud of him for doing things that they would do, but never for something solely him. The praise felt warm in his chest and branded a smile on his face. Content, he let the remark bounce between his thoughts.

They lapped into a comfortable silence. Their breaths and footsteps the only noise between them. 

Harry was the first to break through it. A noise of excitement filtered out his throat catching Severus’s attention. He looked up before following the boy's gaze. It led to a small bakery. From the windows, you could look in and see the pastel blue walls with prints of pastries and desserts. There were a few people in the shop. Some sitting at the tables while others stood at the counter. Several items were easily seen on the counters in display cases and others were wrapped and placed around the shop in wicker baskets. 

“Hold this please,” Harry rushed out throwing the wrapped frame into Severus’s arms. Quickly his fingers wrapped around it, the paper crinkling under his grip. 

Harry darted into the shop. The bell on the door ringing as he opened it and entered. There was a young girl behind the counter. She smiled at him and welcomed him. He muttered a greeting as he looked at the cupcake displays. He quickly found what he was looking forward and requested two from the top front row and two from the bottom left. After paying her and taking his change, he bounced out with a paper bag in his hands. 

“Do you like raspberry?” Harry inquired before Severus could throw out a question. 

“Yes?” The words came out with a confused tone. Harry ignored it and dug out a wrapped treat and thrusting it towards his professor. 

“It’s a raspberry cheesecake cupcake. I’ve seen them here before but I’ve never had a reason to get one before.” Severus listened as he gently set the wrapped artwork down and took the dessert. “I think selling my first artworks is a good enough reason.”

“Extras?” His teacher eyed the bag in his hand. 

“For Hermoine and Ron.” 

The cupcake was sweet. The filling was a raspberry puree swirled with a cheesecake filling. It was cooked on top of a white cake and sprinkled with crushed graham crackers. It was aesthetically pleasing. It tasted just as good as it looked. Harry finished his first while Severus slowly picked at his. He finished his a street away from where they were going to apparate from.

Harry decided he hated apperating. The feeling made him sick. At one point he didn’t know which way was up and which was down. Once they landed Severus had quickly yanked the package from Harry’s hands. He was happy that he did because the boy stumbled and tripped onto the cobblestone road. 

It took a few deep breaths and some heavy nose breathing before Harry could stand and keep his cupcake in his stomach. Shakily, he made his way up the stairs to the hidden house. Severus unlocked the door and ushered him in. 

“Again, Than-”

“WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?!” Molly screeched at Harry. 

Harry flinched away from the sound pulling his package in front of him for protection. He stepped backward and into his potions teacher. When Harry’s breaths became shallow Severus steered him out of the hallway and into the sitting room. 

What a mistake that was. 

Sirius, Remus, Tonks, Minerva, Albus, and Arthur were wall standing around a wooden table that had been pulled in. Papers littered the surface. Candles were perched in the middle of the table giving extra light to the task at hand.

Remus started to talk first, “Harry wh-”

He was quickly cut off by Sirius snarling at Severus who was standing behind Harry, “Get away from my Godson!” When Sirius stepped forward Harry stepped back. Once again colliding with his professor.

“Sirius, you need to calm down,” Remus tried to reason. He had placed his hand on his friend’s arm only for it to be shrugged off. 

“Don’t tell me to calm down!” Sirius yelled back. “Who knows what Snivellus did!” 

“He just took me to my-” Harry attempted but it seemed no one wanted to listen. Once again he was caught off by an enraged red-head mother. 

“Do you know how much danger you could’ve been in?” Molly yelled at Harry. 

“Professor Snape was there,” Harry tried to reason, “If something happened-”

“You shouldn’t have left! We had no idea where you were! No notes! Nothing!” Molly’s voice was causing Harry to flinch harshly. Whenever Vernon had raised his voice like this, nothing good came from it. Ignoring how the child was reacting she kept going, “What’s so important that you decided to leave!”

Harry, with anger building at her reaction, snapped, “MY ART!”

It went quiet. Faces morphed into confusion. He kept going taking the opportunity. “My art!” He repeated in a lower voice. “I was featured in an exhibit. My first exhibit! Not that any of you seemed to care!” He roughly threw the wrapped art onto the table. He was out of the room before it came in contact. He was already on the stairs when the sound of cracked glass filled the room. 

Severus strode forward and tore at the wrinkled paper. The piece was as big as the ones that were in the gallery. Underneath the cracked glass was a watercolor and ink piece. 

Looking down, Severus noted that he was looking into a cupboard. The door was open with vines blooming out of the cramped space. There were broken toys on the floor of the small space and ripped paper taped to the walls. Past the dangling light bulb and spider webs was the source of the vines. It was a skeleton of a little boy propped limply against the cupboard wall. It wore clothes that were too big and hung poorly on the bones body. Vines sprouted out of the eyes and mouth and as well as the ribs of the form. The vines appeared to start at the center of the chest, where the heart would lay. 

Severus tapped his wand on the glass, the crack sealing with a soft glow. Everyone that was at the table had turned their attention to the framed work in front of them. Remus made a comment on the detailed while Sirius whispered about not know Harry could draw. 

“He tried informing you,” Severus said to the room, “He tried several times. Each time you all seemed to be too caught up in yourself or too busy to listen.”

He could see the guilt crawl onto the faces of the other adults. Instead of letting it be, he continued after turning to Remus, “It was a charity event. All profits were given to charities of his choosing. Do you know where half of his earnings went?” Severus didn’t leave room for an answer, “ _ St. Raphel’s Healers.  _ A place that is known for the health of werewolves.” 

The guilt on Remus’s face deepened. On the inside, he was touched. Harry had shown his support in his teacher even after the man had ignored him throughout the day. Honestly, Remus thought that it made it so much worse. 

“Though it is for a good cause, Harry mustn’t leave the safety of the house,” Albus informed Severus with a gentle voice. 

“No,” Severus told the man while shaking his head. His eyes had wandered over the piece taking in the pastel colors and crisp lines. “No, you can’t keep him locked up. He’s a person, not a dog.”

He could have stayed and listened to the response of the older man but he didn’t. He took the stairs upwards until he heard voices. He knew those voices well, he heard them whenever things seemed to go south. He followed to a door that was cracked open. 

“You only care about me when it benefits you!” Harry yelled inside the room, “Whenever I try to do or say something you aren’t interested in, you complain. I support your interests even when I’m not invested in them, why can’t you do the same for me?”

There was a mumbled response that Severus couldn’t decipher. 

“You’re only upset because I left the house without you! You don’t care about my art! When I tried to invite you to it earlier you said you weren’t interested! You can’t just like me for somethings,” Harry cried out, “You can’t ignore that I like other things. That I don’t like and do everything you do.” Another mumble and Harry snapped, “Just leave!” 

Suddenly the door was yanked open and Ron was walking out with a red face. He hit Severus with his shoulder when passing and threw a scowl back at the man. Severus sneered at the boy before entering the room. 

Harry was sitting on the floor adding things into a cauldron. It was resting over a blue fireproof mat and a small portable flame. Hermoine was sitting on her bed, she was leaning against the wall with a closed book in her lap. She was digging through the bag from the Bakery and pulled out a small box with a cupcake in it.

“What are you doing?” Severus looked down at the boy on the floor. He was opening small plastic containers with ingredients that were already prepared in them. He dropped in diced dragon liver before stirring it clockwise three times. 

“Making a healing potion,” Harry mumbled as he snapped the lid back on the ingredient. He grabbed another one which held crushed Dittany. 

“Why?” And how? Severus wondered, Harry’s potions were acceptable but the healing potion he was making was one her taught to his NEWT students. How was he easily making it on the floor of a dingy old house?

“It helps Hermoine's end-men-itis.” 

“Endometriosis,” The girl correct from the bed, “But sometimes I feel like I also have end-men-itis.” 

Both Harry and Severus snorted at the comment. Harry went back to making the potion. It was at the boiling stage and had to be watched carefully. It had to boil for thirty-seconds before removed from heat and cooled for fifteen minutes. 

“What is endometriosis?”

“Uh it’s a girl thing,” She admitted before digging into her bag and handing over several folded brochures. “I’ve tried to see if Madam Pomfrey had anything to cure it but she said it was just a made up muggle thing. I was thinking about going to a muggle doctor but I’m not sure what would happen if they gave me meds. Would they be affected by potions? Would they even work on me?”

Harry had moved the cauldron of the heat and placed it on the other side of the heat mat. Grabbing a white timer he cranked it to the fifteen mark and set in on the nightstand.

“Hi Ginny,” Harry was looking past Severus to the redhead girl in the doorway. “Ron’s being a git want a cupcake?” 

“I don’t know how those things are connected,” She admitted walking slowly into the room eyeing Severus, “But yes.” 

“I will see if there is anything in my library that can help with this,” He looked at the glossy paper, “issue.” He turned to leave as Ginny was handed a small box. As he was walking down the stairs he was stopped. 

“I can show some more of my art when you come back!” Harry told him.

He turned back to the top of the stairs. There was the nervous boy fidgeting with his fingers. He cleared his throat, “I’d like that.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's another chapter my lovely readers! I've been working on it slowly throughout the past two weeks. Let me know if I've missed some grammar or if there are some awkward parts. 
> 
> I'm really excited because my BF moves in today and it's super exciting. 
> 
> I have two long one-shots in the work so keep an eye out for those!


	3. Chapter 3

Crumpled papers and various sketching pencils littered the table around him. Sitting next to his gray 2H pencil was a half eat granola bar that he had taken two bites of out of before getting distracted. A glass that previously held ice water now holds a 2B pencil and a pencil that had snapped under Ginny’s foot when she accidentally stepped on it when she walked in. 

Said girl was sitting across from Harry in a winged armchair. She had one leg on the arm while one of her arms was draped over the back. Her head was tilted toward the ceiling with red hair spilling on to her shoulders. She wasn’t moving aside from her even breaths. 

Harry was hunched over a large drawing sketch pad. The pencil in his hand moved quickly, never staying in one spot too long. He was moving on from the sketchy outline of his friend and mapping out the shadows of her skin and clothing. Dropping one pencil, he snatched another before the wood met the polished table.

He started to darken the outlines around the face on his drawing when the door to the Library opened. Once the footsteps stopped behind his chair he spoke without looking up, “I’m in the middle of something, Ron, I’ll play chess with you later.” 

“I feel offended that you have mistaken me for that dunderhead,” A deep voice drawled behind the boy. He paused the line he was creating and looked up. 

“Hullo,” Harry smiled at the man before turning back to his drawing. Ginny would probably want to move soon and he wanted to fill in as much as he could before she did. 

‘What are you working on?” Severus asked leaning over the boy’s shoulder.

“A ritual to summon Satan,” Harry sassed. Severus snorted to which Harry replied, “You think my hair is naturally this lovely? No, I have otherworldly help.”

“Ask him to tame it next time.”

“Shut it, Ginny,” He didn’t pause his drawing to speak but Severus could hear a smile. 

“Why have you selected the library as your art room?” Severus asked Harry while pulling out the chair next to the boy and taking a seat. 

“There’s a charm that if you speak above a certain volume, books while start attacking you. Mrs. Weasley can’t say two words in here without a book to the face. When Ron complains about things, naturally his voice raises. After the third time of being pelted with tomes, he decided to keep out. 

“I enjoy the quiet. When I don’t have anything to distract me, my mind runs wild. Some of my best work has begun in a silent room,” Harry admitted. He grabbed a gray kneadable eraser and lightly dabbed it over some of his lines to lighten them. 

“Can I move yet?”

“No.”

“Oh come on,” Ginny groaned out, “I need to go to the bathroom.”

“Just a few more minutes,” Harry informed.

“You said the ten minutes ago,” Ginny mumbled. She rotated her ankle trying to stop the growing feeling of pins and needles. She was rewarded with a hiss from Harry about moving.

“Hello Professor,” Hermoine greeted as she gently set a stack of books on the table. Severus had to pull Harry’s pencils towards him so she had somewhere to put the dark-colored volumes. 

“I didn’t realize you were in here.”

“I spend the majority of my time in here,” She sheepishly admitted. 

“Shocking,” Ginny sarcastic replied.

“Shush!” Hermoine huffed at the redhead.

“Okay you can move,” Harry said as setting his pencils and paper pad down.

“Thank Merlin,” She cried out quietly. She quickly darted out of the room and down the hall. 

“ _Hidden in Plain Sight,”_ Severus read the title of the book from the top of the stack. The one below it was _Ancient Glamours._ “Why are you researching Glamours?” 

“Hermoine has a theory,” Harry informed.

“What? You’re the one that brought it up!” Hermoine rebutted. 

“It was just a random comment,” Harry admitted.

“One that explains a lot.”

“And this theory would be?” Severus asked trying to get an answer to his question. 

Huffing, Harry looked at his professor, “I told Hermoine that staying in this house was starting to drive me crazy.”

“Which had me thinking, what if Sirius erratic behavior is because of some sort of cabin fever?” Hermoine had raised her eyebrows as she asked the question. 

“Could be the Dementors,” Harry whispered as Severus thought about Sirius’s behavior. 

The man seemed to struggle a lot now that he thought about it. He had seen the man blankly stare at the walls of the dining room for uncomfortably long periods of time. His eyes would be glazed and unfocused as people and sounds passed by him. Usually, the man would come to and be fine but there were times when someone would touch his shoulder causing him to lash out and scream. 

That was minor compared to some of the other behaviors. There were times during meetings where he would look around confused. He would look at the people in the room and not recognize them. Severus had caught him looking at Remus extremely confused, it was as if he knew who he was but his brain couldn’t connect it. Then suddenly it would snap back and he would join the conversation once again. 

Severus had watched as the man would discuss topics with Harry only to stop what he was saying mid-sentence. He would look at Harry critically before starting up the conversation again with a new topic. He would structure his sentence weirdly, turning them into a puzzle for the receiver. There were times where he seemed to take an entire conversation and smash it into one sentence, resulting in a string of random words. 

Sirius had also become extremely possessive since Harry’s art exhibit. If Sirius was in the same room as Harry, he would become aggressive whenever someone besides himself would talk to the boy. At every chance he got, Sirius was around Harry. There were times when Harry wouldn’t be in his sight and Sirius would panic. He seemed to think that if he let the boy leave his sight that he would be gone forever. 

His mood wasn't any better. He would be happy then turn to anger in a second. Once, Kreacher was in the room receiving an order from the man only for Sirius to become enraged halfway through and start screaming. Harry had pulled Kreacher behind him when Sirius had lunged for the older elf. Severus saw as Harry’s body trembled in front of his Godfather. When Sirius had stalked towards the two, Harry had flinched so harshly that he stumbled into the house-elf. Sirius had looked confused at the boy, asked about oranges, then left the room.

Severus thought part of the reason Harry had taken to hiding the library was to free himself from the overbearing presence of his Godfather. The boy couldn’t even sleep alone anymore, he had heard Molly talking with Remus about how Sirius needed to stop shifting into Padfoot and sleeping at the foot of Harry’s bed. 

The other part of the reason, Severus thought, was because of the elf incident. Harry had become more hesitant around Sirius since then. His body always jerking and trembling under the man’s touch. Harry always watched him from the corner of his eye when he was around. Severus had a theory about why that was but he wanted to wait to bring it up. 

"The Glamours?” Severus asked once he brought himself from his thoughts. 

“Well, Sirius Black can’t just walk into the office of a therapist, can he?” Hermoine asked before standing up and walking away from their table into the maze of shelves. 

“Hermoine, Ginny, and I have been trying to find a Glamour that would pass any sort of detection. It’s harder than it sounds seeing as some of these books are in Latin and Hebrew.”

The doors to the library opened and Ginny walked back in. She brought a soft fuzzy blanket in with her. It was wrapped around her shoulders and dragged behind her as she made her way to the table barefoot.

“Did she actually find a book that was English this time?” Ginny asked grabbing a book from the stack. 

“I have a translation spell you can use,” Severus offered. 

“PLEASE!” Hermoine yelled. That was quickly followed by a quieter hiss of _"_ _Ow!”_

“Did Hermoine just yell in the library? How scandalous!” Harry snickered. Ginny was giggling into the palm of her hand and Severus raised his eyebrow in amusement. 

“What brought you to the library?” The boy with messy hair asked when Hermoine returned with a bright red spot on her left cheek. Ginny had started to laugh but turned it into a cough when the bushy-haired girl glared. 

“Someone had asked if they wanted me to look through their artwork, I wanted to see if that was still an option.” 

Apparently, that was the right thing to say because Severus swore he could light up the night sky with the smile he was awarded. It was a wide opened mouth smile that caused his eyes to narrow in glee. It was a smile he had never seen on the boy before but hoped that it would happen more in the future. 

He was suddenly dragged away from the two girls to the back of the library. Back by a fireplace and two oversized armchairs was a large wooden trunk. Harry dropped to his knees and quickly popped the lock before throwing the lid open. He shoved the top so hard that whole trunk had teetered before leveling out. 

Inside was an organized mess of items. He pulled compartments out, drawers were yanked open, and false bottoms were drug out. Soon papers, empty and filled, were scattered around the two. Sketchbooks ranging in various states of use were stacked next to Harry. Messy paint covered brushes and pallets were sitting next to half-filled canvases. 

“So these,” He pointed to the sketchbooks, “are my babies. Please be careful with them but you can look through them.” He then pulled a navy blue one with gold trim out of the pile, “All but this one.” He then placed it back in the trunk. 

“Here,” He pointed to the stacks of paintings, “Are my acrylic paintings. Most of them are finished but some are still ongoing.” 

Severus had already picked up a sketchbook as HArry pointed out all the materials he had and was experimenting with. The sketchbook in his hands had drawing of various parts of the castle. The lines were erratic and messy but they caught a likeness of the halls. After flipping through the book he picked up another one. This one was brown and double the size of the last one. 

In this book was drawings of different ingredients for potions. Each spread had a page dedicated to the plant in various angles and closeup sketches. On the adjoining page was a history of the plant. It told about what the plant was, what it was known for and what is represented. 

He was tracing his fingers over a nightshade plant when Harry handed him a drawing that was in a protective sleeve. He closed the book before turning his attention to the piece. Quickly his breath left his chest when he saw a familiar face looking back at him. 

In his hands was an extremely detailed drawing of Lily Potter. The artwork was blinking at him. After a moment it smiled at him, a smile he never thought he would see again. The drawing titled her head before it straightened up and returned back to the original position. It then repeated the process, the drawing was on a loop. 

He watched as the lilies around the face bloomed when she smiled before reversing back into their first state. He kept staring at the piece with a deep ache. Each smile seemed to increase the hollowness in his chest. 

“That was my first piece of magical art.”

“It’s very good,” Severus choked out.

“Yeah,” Harry admitted before continuing, “Magical art is cool but there is something about traditional art that I prefer. I want to still explore this type though.”

“You have an amazing talent,” Severus admitted handing back the art. He was rewarded with a soft smile that helped ease the hollowness just a little. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did I push this off because I keep playing Breath of the Wild in my free time? Yes.
> 
> Did I just cause more stress of trying to finish this chapter on time? Yes.
> 
> Would I do it again? Probably. 
> 
> Gonna be in Minnesota this weekend! I will respond to comments when I get the chance.


	4. Chapter 4

“Hey Ron,” Harry called out as Ron walked past the drawing-room. Said boy stopped and back up to see who was talking to him. Seeing Harry, he walked in and sat across from eyeing the drawing supplies on the table.

“Hiya Harry,” Ron said around a mouth full of chocolate.

“Want to go to a museum in London? It has the Wallace Collection! I heard there was a Rembrandt piece in the-“

“That sounds boring.” Ron cut him off with a scrunch of his nose and a look of distaste. Harry’s face fell, the excitement that was building deflated instantly.

“Oh.” Ron either didn’t notice the crestfallen look on Harry’s face or just ignored it completely. He went on to talk about the upcoming World Cup.

Ron spoke about the two teams that were going to play not noticing the half-heart responses that he got. While Ron rambled, Harry turned back to his project. He was trying to create highlights by using an X-Acto knife to lift marks already placed. He wasn’t having the most luck and was cursing himself for not purchasing a new white marker.

At some point, Ron had gotten up and left. Harry had turned his attention full force into his project that he didn’t realize his friend had left. Nor did he realize Remus walk into the room. He stood behind him looking over his shoulder.

“What are you working on?”

Harry jerked at the sudden voice accidentally dragged the blade across the wooden table in surprise. He was staring at the mark while Remus stuttered out apologizes. He then noticed Harry wasn’t paying attention to him and realized where he was focusing. With a quick mending spell, Harry’s panic ebbed away.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you,” Remus sheepishly spoke while sticking his wand up his sleeve.

“It’s fine. Hermione does it all the time. I just get really focused.”

“So, what are you working on?”

Leaning back, Remus saw several sketches in marker and pen. “I’m just testing a couple of techniques out. They aren’t working.”

“Well, How about you take a break?” Harry nodded and stacked his materials onto a pile in the corner of the desk. 

“Are we leaving?” The boy asked after straightening his shirt out. Hermoine had gotten him some muggle clothes last Christmas. He was eternally grateful for his friend. 

“Yes, Severus is rounding up the girls.” As soon as the words came out of Remus’s mouth, two girls bounced into the room. Severus strode in a moment later wearing a button down shirt with slacks. 

“I tried to invite Ron,” Harry admitted with a sad sigh “He wasn’t interested.”

“I’m sorry,”Remus comforted with a hand on his shoulder, “He has some growing up to do. I’m sure he’ll come around.”

“I hope so.” 

They slipped out of the old house without anyone noticing. After walking a few streets away, Harry and Ginny grabbed Severus arm and Hermione grabbed Remus’s and they were gone with a crack. Harry and Hermione both stumbled on the landing. 

“Did you know that Jean-Honore Fragonard’s _The Swing_ is here?” Harry spoke with so much excitement that he was struggling to sit stand still. An older woman in front of them chuckled at his eagerness and commented to her husband about how she wished their grandkids would be that excited about art. Harry blushed but kept speaking in a happy tone. “It's one of the most iconic French pieces from the 18th Century!” 

“I’m guessing you read the Art History book I got you for Christmas?” Hermoine asked with a raised eyebrow and smug grin

“Uh,” The blush deepened on the boy’s face, “I might have flipped through it.” 

“I saw the Mona Lisa,” Severus admitted as they walked past the information desk. “It was quite a beauty.”

“I’m so jealous!” Harry cried out. He suddenly fell quite as he walked up to the rest of the tour group. Most were adults, only two other kids were present besides the three. One was a blonde hair toddler who kept waving happily to Remus. The other was a girl that seemed to be around their age with blue hair and pen drawings all up her arms. 

From the moment that the tour began, Harry was hooked. He listened diligently to every word the guide spoke. Severus watched the amazement and wonder in the boy’s eyes. He watched as the kid studied every inch of the various works in front of him. 

Severus watched Harry more than he looked at the art. There was something about the innocent and dopey smile he wore. How he seemed to live in his own world when he took in the brushstrokes and details of the aged paintings and darkened statues. It seemed that every time he was around Harry, he learned more about the boy.

It was also becoming easier to separate his from his father and mother. He could now look at the child and see Harry. Yes, there was a small voice in the back of his head that tried to remind him about his idiotic father but it was getting quieter everyday. 

When they finished the tour, Severus and Remus practically lifted the boy from under his arms and dragged him out. He complained loudly as the two girls giggled behind him. 

The group stopped and grabbed some food from a nearby pub. That turned into a loud and exciting affair on it’s own. By the time they had left Remus was still trying to find all the chips that had been chucked down his shirt. 

“Hey Remus,” Harry called out as the laughter from the meal died down, “Did my Dad enjoy art?”

“No,” The older man admitted after a moment of silence, “He seemed to have too much energy to be able to stop and focus on something. Your mother, on the other hand, was an art history nut. She was fascinated by not only Muggle art but by Wizarding art as well.” 

“That’s what Professor Snape said.” 

Remus raised an eyebrow at said man but didn’t comment. The continued the walk with mindless chatter. Most of the conversations steered toward art focus topics.

Making it back into the house, the group heard yelling from the dining room. Harry, deciding to ignore it, went back to the drawing room where he had left his supplies earlier. The others followed. Ginny sat sideways in an armchair and made a grabby motion to Harry when he picked up his sketchbook. Sighing he passed the bound item to her. 

“Hermione, you wouldn’t happen to have a white color pencil would you?” 

“Harry,” She started, “I have the drawing skills of a toad. Why would I have art supplies?” 

“You never know! You could have bought them just in case I-”

“HARRY!” Sirius screamed behind him causing him to flinch away from the sound. Severus and Remus frowned at the action. 

“Hul-”

“Where have you been? Why didn’t you take me?” Sirius asked not taking a breath between the two sentences. “Why didn’t you tell me you were leaving? I want you to stay here with me! I can keep you safe.” 

“We took him to an art collection,” Severus answered for the boy. 

Harry had stood up from the chair he was sitting in and trying to make distance between Sirius and himself. It wasn’t working, the older man kept inching forward causing the boy to step back. He was starting to feel trapped. It reminded him of the times when his uncle or cousin cornered him with a sick smile and taunting chuckles.

“STAY AWAY FROM HIM!” Sirius bellowed. Remus, who noticed Harry's discomfort, was trying to get him to back away from Harry but he kept getting pushed away and ignored. 

“You have no authority to tell me what I can and cannot do, Black.” Severus bit out.

“He is MY godson,” Sirius snarled, “He’s mine. You need to stay away from my things.” Both Harry and Remus made a sound of protest at that comment. Ginny and Hermione both sharply inhaled. Hermione was starting to stutter out a response when she was cutoff.

“He is a person,” Severus cut at him stepping closer to the man, “He doesn’t belong to you or anyone. You can’t keep treating him like a possession.”  


“James made me his Godfather. That means he is my Godson. Mine. He is mine!” 

Behind Sirius, Harry was trying to get away. Seeing Tonks in the threshold motioning for him to come to her, he tried to slide behind Sirius and get away. The movement didn’t go unnoticed. Sirius whirled around and grabbed Harry’s wrist in a tight and painful grip. 

“Let go!” Harry cried trying to yank the limb from his godfather. 

“You need to stay away from him! He’s a slimy snake!” Sirius had leaned in too close to Harry. The grip on his wrist also became tighter and he knew if he didn’t get away the bone would break. He had felt it before.

While Remus was trying to pull Sirius away, Harry reached out to his supplies with his right hand until he found the metal tool. Quickly wrapping his fingers around it he turned and plunged to X-Acto knife into the arm holding him. He then quickly dragged it down hoping his godfather would let go. 

Once the knife dragged all the way down to the knuckle, Sirius yanked his arm to his chest. “You need fucking help.” Harry spat before rushing out the front doors ignoring the calls behind him. He ran down the street until his lungs burned and it felt like his legs were going to buckle underneath him. He slowed down and dropped himself onto the curb, the bloody tool still gripped tightly in his fist. 

“Harry?” 

His head snapped towards the voice. His breath was still heavy and rushing out of his lungs faster than he could pull it in. After a moment of blinking he was able to identify the voice to belonging to Snape.

“I’m not going back,” He huffed out, “Not until he gets help. I just-” He put his head in his knees, “I just can’t deal with it anymore.” 

“I wasn’t going to make you go back. I was going to invite you to my home.”

“Really?” Harry asked eyes shining with hope.

“Really.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm SO sorry for the long wait. There has been a lot of family issues going on recently. I should be back on schedule but there might be delays in the future. It all depends on how some things turn out.
> 
> This piece was kind of rushed. Usually I write it over a two week period and published it. This one was done it two days. 
> 
> In the future, Ron will get better. He just is struggling to see if from a different point of view. Sirius, he will start to get better. He'll never be a hundred percent but then again he was with monster for twelve years. It's skewed his reality and he has a major disconnect that he has to deal with. 
> 
> Final note, I randomly became lactose intolerant. It's kind of hard to change your diet over night but I'm trying. I just learned tonight that buttered toast upsets my stomach so now I want to cry.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hey I will be moving this to Sunday posting instead of Friday.
> 
> I got a comment based on the spacing in my chapters. I'm going to try and fix it. I use google docs since I use several different computers when writing and I think it happens in there.

Severus knew something was off after the second day of Harry staying at his house. Severus had the feeling he was missing some important information. What that was? He was unsure. He realized this after waking up the night after bringing him to his old family home. 

He awoke to the smell of fake lemons and disinfectant. After using his nose as a guide, he found Harry head first in the oven with his sleeves rolled up and grime making his hair sticking straight up. The rest of the kitchen looked to be scrubbed and organized with precision. Surfaces that Severus had never seen clean before, shone brightly back at him. 

The nagging feeling that was starting to form in the back of his head doubled after catching the boy’s attention. He thought he would receive a morning greeting followed by a request for food. Instead, he got a panicked look and a boy stumbling over his words, “I’m Sorry! I didn’t know you would be awake yet. I don’t have breakfast ready.” 

After peeling the boy away from the oven and stopping the repeated apologies, Severus was able to convince Harry that he could manage breakfast perfectly fine and instructed the boy to take a shower. He did note the hesitation before the child nodded and walked out of the cleaned room. 

Severus wanted to brush off the feeling that kept blooming in the back of his mind, but throughout the weekend, more and more things set it off. It was actions that could be easily overlooked, ones that seemed pointless alone but when added together had Severus narrowing his eyes.

He noticed Harry would never eat first. He would always wait until Severus was several bites in before hesitantly starting his meal. He would never as for seconds, instead he would fill his plate with a small amount and stare longingly at the leftovers. Severus had started to fill the boy’s plate in worry that he wasn’t getting enough calories. 

Severus also noticed he never asked for snacks throughout the day, even when he could hear the rumble of the boy’s stomach across the room. Noticing that he wouldn’t feed himself, Severus had started to grab himself a snack when he heard the noise and just pass one off to the boy. He learned after the first time not to ask if he wanted a snack, it was easier just to put one within his reach without saying anything. 

Severus also noticed that since Harry had moved in, his house had become spotless. All the dust and grime that had built-in Severus’s neglect has vanished overnight. Everything had been rearranged and neatly placed. Books lined the walls in alphabetic order, food was in the cabinet based on height, newspapers were stack based on date. 

Harry was a very organized person, Severus realized by Sunday morning. He went to place a new set of clothing he had ordered from the child in his room when he realized how organized he really was. Besides the bed being made with perfection, everything in Severus’s old room was placed with precision. Harry had things neatly piled on the desk by subject, his paints were set by his easel based on color. Each forming a line, the lightest color in front with the darkest in back. His paintbrushes were lined in a cloth pouch based on the numbers printed on the handle. 

In the closet, Harry’s clothes were grouped by color. Long sleeves first followed by short sleeves. Pants were neatly folded and placed in the dresser drawers. Socks were paired and lined the top drawer. It felt so neat that it lacked personality. Severus felt he walked into the room of a drill sergeant. 

To avoid Harry going to hi lab and rearranging everything he threw upwards and added a few extra locks. 

Severus also quickly learned that Harry was quiet. In the two days of staying with Severus, Harry never initiated the conversation. Once Severus would start talking to him, it was easy to keep him talking. It was easy to jump from topic to topic, the excitement taking over the reservations he had. It made Severus rethink why Harry never participated in class, instead of not knowing the material it was possibly because he was too shy to speak up. 

It was clear to Severus after the first night that Harry was suffering from anxiety. He noticed that Harry always seemed to be on edge, waiting for something to go wrong. He caught Harry picking as his hands and clothes when things became quiet. He also noticed from the light that shone under the crack of Harry’s door that he seemed to have trouble sleeping. 

Hoping to ease the boy somewhat, Severus request Remus to bring over his friends to spend time with him. He hoped that having someone he was familiar and comfortable with would help him adjust to his new surroundings. 

Soon his living room was filled with green light as three bodies entered his house. One redhead girl and another with a messy bun were standing in front of Remus who was looking around the room. Remus and Hermione’s eyes instantly became glued to the floor-length bookshelves. 

“Harry!” Ginny exclaimed after spotting him behind Severus. Hermione’s head whipped from the books to her friend. A giant smile spread across her face as she bounded forward and enveloped him into a tight hug. Ginny followed behind waiting for the other girl to let go and give her own hug. 

“Hello Harry,” Remus said softly walking to the little gang that was standing in the middle of the room. “How are you doing?”

“I’m good, How are you?”

“Oh, I’m alright. I’m glad to see you.” They two quickly hugged before Harry looked behind the man.

“No Ron?” He asked saddened at the lack of his first friend. 

Remus twitched slightly before admitting that Ron wasn’t comfortable with coming over to Professor Snape’s house. Hermione huffed and the comment and a deep frown appeared on Harry’s face. 

Severus suggest Harry to give the girl’s a tour while he caught up with Remus. Like usual Harry hesitated before leading the two girls up the stairs. 

Severus waited until the were to Harry’s door to turn and speak with Remus. “Problems at the house?”

“Ah, well, yes,” Remus admitted rubbing the back of his neck. “Sirius has gone off the deep end. Hermione is thinking about contacting her family, she doesn’t want to be there anymore. The twins keep to themselves and hideaway in the library. Arthur has been doing overtime just to stay out of the house.”

“What has he been doing?” 

“He’s been going on rages. Breaking things, screaming, he’s attacked me several times,” Severus’s eyebrows raised at the information but he didn’t interrupt. “He’s become delusional. He hears things that aren’t there. He keeps asking about Harry, well, I assume Harry.”

“Assume?”

“He rants that you’ve kidnapped James. It’s why he has been attacking me. He thinks that I allowed you to kidnap James. That I’m working with you to keep them separate.” Remus tilted on to the back of his heels before leveling himself out again, “He has no idea who Harry is. If you are to ask he gets confused. He’s merged the James and Harry together in his mind.

“He’s starting to do it with Ginny. He has been calling her Lily all weekend. It’s extremely awkward. He keeps trying to get her to help him break out and find James. We have been keeping him locked on the upper floors because when she refuses he starts hexing things.”

“Merlin,” Severus whispered in disbelief. “Hermione and Harry are right, he needs therapy.”

“We’ve tried to suggest that to Albus but he says he’ll just get over it in time.”

“That’s not how it works!” Severus hissed frustrated. 

“Trying to explain that to Albus is like trying to convince a brick walk to move out of the way.” Remus rubbed his face before sitting down on the edge of the couch. “How are things here?”

“I may have uncovered something with Harry.”

“Oh?” Remus inquired with a tilted head, “Good news?”

“No. I think he’s suffered neglect. Possible abuse but I'm not entirely sure,” Severus informed as he sat across from Remus. He watched the man’s face crumble in horror in front of him. He saw the guilt in his eyes as he thought back. 

“He didn’t have any happy memories.”

“What?”

Remus swallowed thickly before explaining, “When I was teaching him the Patronus Charm, he admitted he didn’t have any happy memories from his childhood when I suggested he use one. I didn’t think anything of it before.”

“I need a drink,” Severus mumbled after a moment of silence. He quickly grabbed two glasses filling them with ice and whiskey. Sitting across from Remus once again he passed the cup over. 

“Why do you think he’s been neglected?”

Severus motioned to the room with his free hand, “He’s constantly cleaning. He’s also extremely particular about it.”

“Ingrained behavior?”

“Forced ingrained behavior,” He corrected. “He struggles with food too. He doesn’t ask for it and only allows himself small amounts. He always apologizes excessively.”

“Anxiety?”

“Without a doubt. He struggles with sleeping. He has nervous tics as well.”

Remus downed his drink, “Why do you suspect abuse?”

“It could be part of his anxiety but he’s always on edge. Almost as if he’s waiting for a fight. Waiting to be hit. I’ve seen him flinch or raise his hands in front of his face when I move my hand to close to his face.” Severus set his empty glass on the wooden table next to Remus’s empty one. 

“Has he talked to you about it?”

“No, he’s very quiet. Won’t speak unless spoken to. If you give him the chance he’ll just sit and paint all day. Just scribbles away in his books in silence. I nearly forgot he was here yesterday night. He came out of the bathroom and nearly gave me a stroke.”

“What are we going to do?” 

Severus sat in silence listening to the floorboards above him. It sounded like the three kids had wandered to the makeshift green room that Severus has made out of the sunroom he built. He has caught Harry in there over the past two days drawing the plants in their various stages of growth. 

“I want to get him to talk about it. Make sure he has a strong support system. I think some healthy meals and health discussions will help him a lot. I could look into finding a therapist.” Severus turned his attention from the ceiling to Remus, “What are you going to do about the mutt.”

“I’m not sure. He needs help, there’s no way around it. I’m unsure about how to get it to him.” Remus leaned back and crossed his ankles, “Any ideas?”

“You could just throw him off a cliff. Problem solved.” Remus scowled at Severus suggest making the man try again, “The kids were thinking about an extremely strong glamour that could possibly fool even Moody’s eye.” 

“That could work. Did they find anything or do I need to risk being attacked while trying to search the Black library?”

“I’m unsure, I have some glamour spells and enchantments from the first war that we could tweak.”

The conversation halted once they heard three sets of feet trample down the wooden stairs. Three teens stopped in the doorway of the living room huffing with smiles on their faces. Before the adults could ask what was going on, Ginny blurted out “Can we have a sleepover?”


	6. Chapter 6

Severus woke up Friday after Harry had the sleepover and instantly knew something was wrong. There was no smell of cleaner wafting up the stairwell or the sound of breakfast being made. 

Mentally he berated himself for those thoughts but still decided to check on Harry. There was a small feeling of worry that he was not used to sitting in his chest. Stopping outside his old room he turned his ear to the door listening to see if the boy was awake. After not hearing anything he knocked on the door with his knuckles. He didn’t hear a response so her rapped his knuckles against the wood one more time. 

The worry that was budding in his chest behind his rib cage bloomed when a groan responded. He slowly pushed open the door to see Harry laying in his bed. The child was buried beneath a mountain of blankets. Severus was halfway to the bedside when he noticed how pale and sweaty the boy’s skin was. When he knelt next to the bed he could feel the heat radiate off the boy’s body.

“Harry,” He spoke softly placing his cool fingers against the heated forehead. The boy struggled to open his eyes and look up at the man. After a moment of fluttering eyelids, Harry decided just to keep them closed and relax back into the mattress. 

“Harry,” Severus tried again while attempting to wake the boy up, “How long have you been sick?” 

Harry mumbled several syllables but none of them made sense to Severus. Severus stood up and pulled the blankets off the boy to reveal that Harry had ended up sweating through his clothes and several blankets. 

“Cold,” Harry called out through chattering teeth. That quickly turned into a large coughing fit the made his chest rattle. 

“Harry, you’re sweating through the blankets.” 

“Sorry,” He replied while curling his body into a tight ball. 

Severus walked out the boy’s room to find the thermometer that was hidden behind the mirror in the bathroom. When returning, Harry had grabbed the blankets that had been dragged off him. Once again Severus uncovered the boy. While he complained, Severus stuck the little device into his mouth. It stopped moving on the 104°f mark. Harry looked at him confused the entire time. Before leaving the room Harry asked where he was.

Unsure what to do, Severus fetched the boy a glass of ice water before wandering down to the fireplace. He three a pinch into the flames before kneeling and sticking his head in. 

“Severus!” Molly exclaimed, “Do you want me to get the girls?” Ginny and Hermione had been coming to Severus’s house to spend time with Harry and to their homework. Harry wasn’t the only person taking Muggle courses over the summer.

“No, I’m afraid Harry has a fever. I was wondering if you have an FluStrips?” 

Severus wanted to make sure that Harry didn’t have the Wixen Flu before casting a spell. High fevers was the most prominent symptom. Along with heavy sweating, delusions, vomiting, lack of appetite and severe magical bursts. If Harry had the WIxen Flu and he attempted to cast a spell on him, not only would i cause a strong magically backlash but it could potentially collapse his core. 

“Oh, dear,” Molly whispered, “Oh I believe I have some from when Percy got the flu last, let me fetch them.”

Severus heard the woman as she dug through cabinets and drawers. It didn’t take long before she came back into the drawing room with a box in her hand. “When we were invited her I thought it would be beneficial to have these.” She passed the item through the flames. “You know what to do for treatment?”

“Won’t he have to ride it out?” Severus had never gotten the Wixen Flu. He had gotten the vaccine each year to avoid it after the outbreak in his second year. 

“Yes, lots of fluids. Try to keep his temperature down. No potions, no spells, no magic. If his magic starts to flail out get him to St. Mungos.”

“Anything else?” 

“Expect confusion,” She sighed, “When Percy had it he had no idea where he was. He then started to hallucinate. That is more common when ambient magic is around though. I’m not sure how much magic is around your home.”

“Just wards,” Severus confessed, “And protection charms.”

“It may seem minor but it can affect him.” She warned. 

He thanked her before pulling his head out of the flames. Before he could leave the room, someone stepped through. Turning, Remus was standing there barefoot with striped pyjama bottoms and oversized faded t shirt. 

“Harry has the flu?” He asked tiredly. 

“I believe so.” After speaking he walked out of the room and quickly made his way to the boy’s room. 

It was a struggle to get the stick in Harry’s mouth. He kept hitting it out of Severus’s hand. Remus had to pin the child’s wrist to the mattress which made him start crying. Working quickly, Severus shoved the white stick in his mouth underneath his tongue. He had to hold it in place as Harry kept trying to spit it out. Once it changed to purple, a positive, Severus yanked it out and threw it in the trash. 

Remus released Harry’s arms. Immediately the boy curled tightly into a ball once again while crying. Remus, witch pained face, stroked the top of his head while apologizing. Harry wasn’t listening, he just spoke incoherent sentences with few words that could be deciphered. Remus got, “uncle”, ‘punishment’ and ‘cupboard’ before Severus was asking him a question.

“Do you know if muggle medicine could be used for Wixen Flu symptoms?” 

“Actually that’s why I came through. I got the flu over winter break second year. After my mother found out nothing magical could help, she stuck her foot down and demanded my father to take me to a muggle hospital. I got medicine which helped the symptoms and decrease the duration of the flu.”

“How do we get to the hospital?” Severus asked. He could apparate or use a portkey and he wasn’t familiar with muggle transportation anymore. 

“Do you have a phone?” Remus asked pulling himself up from his knees beside the bed. Severus confirmed that, he did, in fact have a phone. “I’ll call a cab. I don’t have any money for the farek, though.” 

“I have some stashed here.” Severus then disappeared into the hallway. Remus went across the hall and soak two wash clothes with cold water. He then laid one behind Harry’s neck and one across his forehead. Harry sighed at the placement but didn’t move. 

“Here,” Severus chucked a pile of clothing at Remus as he entered the room again, “Those are some of my father’s old clothes. They should fit you.”

Thankfully, it didn’t take long to get changed or for the taxi to arrive. They kept Harry in his night clothes, every attempt made to change him he started to screech and swing at them. Even carrying him through the house and out the door was a struggle. He kept demanding that he could walk. That statement was followed by “Why are you kidnapping me?”. They quickly decided that Harry was in a state of delusion that he couldn’t be trusted alone or under his own free will.

The hospital was chaotic, Severus realized after walking in with a half limb boy. There was noise everywhere, conversations over conversations. There were men and women walking around it solid colored uniforms. After walking through the doors, a nurse quickly came up to them with a wheelchair. Remus elected to fill out the paperwork while they took him back to an observation room. 

Severus watched critically while the nurse took swabs of the inside of his mouth and nose. She took his temperature, his blood pressure, checked his eyes, check his ears and throat. This woman did this all precisely and orderly, something that St. Mungos needed more practice with. 

“We are going to quickly run some tests,” She informed the men in the room, “The doctor will be in shortly with the results for your son.” 

Severus was so surprised at her statement that he couldn’t correct her before she left.

“That works in our favor,” Remus remarked as he started at the forms, “Less questions if they just assume your his parent. You might have to step out and forge documents.” 

The only noise in the room was Harry’s raspy breathing. His chest sounded as if it rattled with each breath he took. More than half those breaths ended with coughing fits.

There was a knock on the door before a male doctor with red hair and short stubble walked in, “Hello, I’m Dr. Mason. I’ll be assisting you today.” 

“Severus,” He greeted with a hand shake. Remus followed up with his own introduction. 

“So, Harry has the flu, that can be confirmed,” Dr. Mason spoke will sitting on a still across from the men. Harry had fallen asleep on the bed. “It is a strain similar to something we’ve seen before but not exactly, which can happen when bacteria and viruses mutate. 

“There is one thing that is concerning us right now. His blood isn’t as oxygenated as it should be. I believe the best course of action will monitor him over night. We will give him an oxygen line, get fluids in him through the ivy and prescribed him some medication to help him fight this off.” The Doctor informed Severus and Remus this as he checked Harry’s neck and ankles for any swelling. He checked Harry’s eyes, after waking him up, and then listened to his lungs. 

“Just until tomorrow?” Severus asked.

“We’ll see how he is tomorrow morning. If his oxygen levels are still low, we may keep him a little longer. We want Harry to get better as soon as possible. 

“You can also stay with your son the entire time. We’ll have a room set up for him and you both can stay there with him. I would recommend getting a flu shot if you haven’t gotten on yet though.”

Moving Harry into a new room happened in a blink of an eye. He was changed into a hospital gown, laid in a bed with railings, had a needle stuck in his arm, got hooked to a bag and a think tube draped across his face. The nurse had him take an antibiotic before he dozed back off. She double checked his monitors before turning to the men. 

“The cafeteria is on the second floor next to Elevator B. We will have lunch brought to Harry at noon and dinner at six. Is there anything else you need to know?” She asked cheerfully. 

“Can we spend the night with him?” Severus asked, his arms draped over his muggle long sleeve. 

“As your his father, yes, other visitors have to leave at ten pm,” He thanked her and she left. 

Severus pulled a chair up next to Harry and started to flip through the various magazines in the room. Remus was fiddling with the remote trying to figure out how to work the device. 

It was quiet for several hours. Remus had settled onto the couch and was watching a show about American history. Severus had started to watch it after he finished browsing through the various interior magazines. The show was interrupted by Harry’s raspy voice. 

“She said your my dad,” Harry said with half-open eyes, “I’ve always wanted a dad.” 

Severus’s attention shot from Harry to Remus. Remus was watching him with a curious expression as if to say,  _ How are you going to handle this?  _ Severus took a deep breath before turning to address Harry. 

“I’ve always wanted a son. How about we pretend for a little while?” He knew he said the right thing when Harry’s face broke into a dopey smile. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi you guys! Just wanted to remind you that the new upload is every other Sunday night! 
> 
> Some of you may know I did a fanfic called "The Questions We Wonder" Since that is complete I am replacing that time-slot with a new story, "Child of the Inbetween" Here is a summary: 
> 
> "Harry has always been able to see people who aren't really there. After a few years, he learned he was seeing the spirits of those who haven’t moved on. Trying his best, he helped those move on.   
>  After arriving at Hogwarts he is relieved to find that his classmates can see the spirits too. That relief is short-lived when he quickly finds out that none of the other students can touch them as he can.   
>  With the help of his newly acquired friends, head of house, and a curious potion professor, Harry sets out to discover why he is so different from his peers. Those answers may just lay in the night he lived, at least partially. "


	7. Chapter 7

Harry ended up being held in the hospital another day. It wasn’t for the flu, his symptoms had improved and they were able to break his fever. He was still exhausted and groggy, but he was doing much better. 

No, Harry spent another night because apparently unknown to everyone in the hospital, Harry was allergic to shrimp. 

Severus, after eating a meal from the cafeteria, had decided to go and get himself and Remus take out from a few blocks away. Right before he had left, Harry hesitantly asked if he could bring back some decent soup. The trip wasn’t a long one and the orders were easy. Remus wanted beef lo mein with chicken egg rolls, Harry wanted egg drop soup and Severus had gotten himself shrimp fried rice. 

Remus and Severus each sat on one side of Harry’s bed as they ate. Remus was discussing a documentary of American history that aired on the BBC when it happened. Harry had asked Severus what the pink meat on his plate was. After finding out it was shrimp, Harry made the remark that he never tried it before. Severus seeing nothing wrong with giving him a single piece, dropped it in the boy’s hand. 

It seemed only to take a minute after Harry popped it in his mouth for things to go wrong. He complained of his throat being itchy before red spots started to sprout on his skin. The monitor that was hooked to him started to go haywire as Harry choked. His throat closing. 

Severus nearly dropped his food on the floor as he pushed it to the table as he went to stand over Harry pulling the boy’s blunt fingers away from his neck. Remus was out the door within seconds calling for help. He ran back in with a doctor and nurse while explaining what was happening. By the time that Dr. Mason got to Harry’s body, his tongue had completed swelled and his lips were starting to turn blue. 

It took a dosage of epinephrine and antihistamines to stop the attack and open the airways. They placed the oxygen mask back on the unconscious form of Harry.

Dr. Mason tried his best to reassure Severus that it wasn’t his fault. Allergies can randomly develop throughout life. It took a few minutes of reassuring and quoted statistics and research to calm the man down. Dr. Mason gave Severs a script for an EpiPen, just in case something is cooked with shrimp without their knowledge, and directed him on how to use. The nurse would teach Harry when he came around. 

“You really care for him,” Remus tiredly commented from the couch. 

“Someone has too,” Severus mumbled back not looking up from the magazine he snagged from the waiting room. 

“It didn’t have to be you. It should’ve been Sirius but you saw how well they worked out.” Remus switched the channel when a beauty ad popped up. “If could have been any other adult, but you noticed he needed someone before the rest of us. How did you know?”

Severus hesitated, he was toying with the corner of the page while he searched for the right way to respond. He went with a vague explanation, “I’ve seen it before. I knew how to identify it.” 

Remus hummed while Severus's eyes stared blankly at the page he stopped on. Before even thinking about what he said, Remus blurted out, “You’re not doing this to get back at James, right? You’re not going to just dump him when he needs you the most?”

Severus nearly lunged at Remus for what he said. He had to take several deep shaky breaths to calm himself down. After bringing his heart rate down and pulling his fingers from his palms he shot Remus the dirtiest look he could muster. “You really think I would stoop so low? Do you honestly think so badly of me?”

“I didn’t think Sirius would ever hurt Harry but here we are,” Remus shot back. “What are your motivations, then?” 

“I’m doing what should be done,” Severus hissed, “I’m just doing what is asked of me.”

“No one asked you to care for him. You choose to. Why?”

“Are you going to look a gift horse in the mouth?” Severus spoke in a low challenging tone.

They fell into a tense silence before Remus turned back to the TV. He flipped through the channels as Severus turned to watch Harry’s chest rise and fall. 

Severus wasn’t sure when the protective feelings formed but he couldn’t deny they were there. That wasn’t the only thing he felt either. He started to feel a sense of pride whenever Harry proudly complete an art piece and showed him. He felt proud whenever Harry asked him questions. He was excited to see Harry starting to come out of his shell.

He also felt saddened every time Ron refused to visit Harry. He saw how, whenever the girls came over without him, his face would fall before a smile was forced on to his face. Several times, he had admitted to Remus while pacing in front of the fireplace, he wanted to floo over and shake the boy. He wanted to grab the child by the arms and ask him why he was treating his supposed best friend this way. Why couldn’t he show interest in his friend as Harry had done to him? Ultimately the knowledge that Harry had to learn to navigate and build his own relationships stopped him. 

While his hand rested over Harry’s motionless one, Severus thought back to his own childhood. It was something he typically avoided. Every time he found his thoughts migrating back in time he would slam his heels into the ground and change direction. 

Now, he was at a point in his life where he had to face it. He needed to take a deep breath and walk to the darkest part of his memories so he could make sure to never repeat the mistake of his father. 

While Remus dozed off on the couch, Severus was staring blankly into his lap while focusing on his breathing. He was making a mental list, not only of the things he refused to repeat but of what he did enjoy as a child. Physical violence was the first thing that Severus refused to take part in. He still had marks on his skin and mind from his father, no need to continue that tradition. 

Verbal abuse was one he was going to have to work on. It was easy to snap and throw scathing remarks. It was a way to protect himself while keeping others away. If Harry was abused, which Severus had no concrete proof but was extremely sure of, he didn’t need any of the confidence he had slowly build over the weeks of the summer smashed into pieces. Severus would have to make sure to think thoroughly what he was going to say before spitting venom. 

He wouldn’t force Harry to partake in hobbies he had no interest in. Part of his really wants Harry to enjoy potions as he does, but Severus knew that that wasn’t Harry. He wouldn’t force Harry into situations just to make himself seem more _manly_ or _normal._ It would only push the child further away and create resentment. 

“Dad,” Harry mumbled. His throat was dry and speak seemed to make it feels so much worse. When Severus didn’t look up from his lap he tried again just a little louder, “Dad.”

Severus still didn’t respond making Harry feel foolish. Not only was saying the word _Dad_ foreign and unnatural but the lack of response was making heat pool in his cheeks. He took a deep breath and pushed back the embarrassment and tried one last time. “Dad.”

Finally, Severus broke free from his thoughts to see Harry looking at him tiredly with red cheeks and a grimace. Once Harry broke out into a coughing fit, Severus sat forward and grabbed the cup that was resting on the bedside table. He offered it to Harry once the boy shimmied into a sitting position. 

Harry was still extremely groggy and disoriented. It took him several tries to grab the cup from Severus, granted he wasn’t wearing his glasses. After chugging down the water, Harry lazily looked around the room. He figured the tan blur on the black couch was a Remus who had fallen asleep. 

“Down,” Severus instructed while pushing down on Harry’s shoulders. 

“I want to go home,” Harry mumbled while trying to find a position that he could sleep in where he wasn’t pulling on the tubes and wires attached to him. 

Harry didn’t notice the intake of breath of Severus while dozed back to sleep. He didn’t see the small fond smile or soften features of his potion’s professor. He did feel a callous thumb rub soothingly over the back of his hand while he drifted off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry that this has taken so long to update. The Sunday I was supposed to update it, my uncle had passed. The Sunday after that was his celebration of life. The weekend after that, I was celebrating my birthday with family. Then last weekend I had a party and a concert. 
> 
> Plus I also got a tattoo which you can see here: https://imgur.com/gallery/Z4FFIWP 
> 
> __  
> Next Chapter will see Harry going home and getting a more in-depth look at his and Severus's relationship.


	8. Chapter 8

“I really don’t think this is necessary,” Harry mumble clasping the medical bracelet on his wrist. There was a thin strip of metal with  _ Shrimp Allergy _ engraved on it. 

“I feel better with you having it,” Severus deep voice relayed, “I rather not have another repeat of what happened in the hospital.” 

“You’re just afraid I’m going to give you gray hairs,” Harry cheekily shot back. He earned a huff from his Dad.

Dad.

He had been calling Severus his dad since the hospital and every time a comforting embrace filled his chest. Severus was still getting used to the name, usually replying after the second or third time. It seemed to Harry that Severus had taken the new title with pride. The main changing was the small unsure affections he gave Harry.

He didn’t hug the boy, no, usually it was a hesitant pat that grew confidence. It would be his lips upturned just slightly after Harry shared a pathetic joke. It was the hidden snicker behind his hand whenever Harry refused to call Remus anything but ‘Moon Moon’ after learning his mother’s maiden name. They were small gestures but Harry was sure that as he grew more comfortable in his role so would his signs of affection. 

“I doubt if any of the Dunderheads at the school has given them to me, I highly doubt you will be able to. Have you had the pleasure of meeting Miss Tonks?” He drawled flipping a page in his potion magazine that Hedwig brought in this morning. 

“Is that a challenge?” Harry egged on. Remus stifled a laugh by the stove. 

“Merlin, no.”

“Moon Moon, want to help me turn Dad’s hair gray?” Severus snapped a glare at Harry. Remus sighed loudly as he usually did at Harry’s new nickname. 

“What’s in it for me?” He finally responded when the tea kettle whistled.

“Besides spending time with your favorite teenager?” 

“You aren’t selling it, kid.”

“Wow,” Harry drawled out with mock hurt. “Here I thought you cared about me.” He took the mug that Remus handed down and passed the other mug to Severus who proceeded to pour cream into it. “Anyway,” Harry quickly changed the subject, “You said you had to go to Gringotts today. What for?” 

Remus and Severus both looked at each other debating if it was the best idea to tell him. Ultimately Severus decided keeping secrets would win him any favors with Harry. 

He quickly explained how Ron had caught Kreacher with a locket. After prying it from his hands with promises to deal with destroying the black magic that radiated from the thing, they had gone to Dumbledore with it. Once they realized the man wanted the item and refused to tell them why they quickly hid it. Remus was going to take it to the bank and see if the goblins would be able to make heads or tales of the situation. 

Remus also had a note that he had gotten Andromeda, McGonagall and even Narcissa Malfoy to sign. It allowed Remus to act as his liaison for the Black funds. After filling out forms from all three ladies and Pomphrey, it proved that Remus was acting in Sirius Black’s best interest. Harry was surprised he had gotten Malfoy’s mother’s signature but Remus explained that they had bribed her to the house with promises of Walburga’s old jewelry. Sirius, who was now in a constant state of delusions, had tried to convince her to help him find James. He went on and on to her about How Severus had kidnapped him and everyone out to get him. She agreed that, no, the jail wasn’t where he needed to be, and signed those papers that were presented to her. 

Remus thought that now being in charge of the Black funds and possessions, except for Sirius’s late mother’s belongings, he had more of a chance to bring justice to the actual trader and find a way to get his old friend help. Goblins were amazing healers, after all, Remus had reminded Harry. 

Remus had left before lunch with folders of paperwork, a black box holding a locket, and a thermos full of green tea. Harry had teased Remus that he looked like a secretary before he continued on the sketch in front of him. 

Severus had sat on the other side of the couch where Harry was. He had intended to read the book he had just ordered but before being able to start Harry’s hand had caught his attention. 

The kid’s hand was lightly moving over the surface of the gray-toned paper. It looked to be a rough sketch of his room from upstairs. He saw the light lines of where vines and flowers would be sprouting from his belongings. Vines twisted in and out of open dresser drawers. Daises were sprouting from the spines of books that had been dropped on the floor. He could even see ivy crawling across the wall from the windows. Severus had been so engrossed with watching the lines become refined and darkened that he didn’t realize Harry had stopped drawing. 

Once he heard new voices did his eyes flick away from the beginnings of Harry’s work to two girls in his living room. They seemed nervous and both of their eyes kept flicking backwards to the fireplace. Right as he stood up, the floo lit up the room up with bright green flames before returning to normal. Now standing behind Ginny and Hermione was Ron. 

It was easy to tell that Ron wasn’t very happy to be here. The left side of his face was turned up slightly in distaste. He was sneering at the decorations of the home and didn’t want to stray further into enemy territory. 

“Ron!” Harry cried out cheerfully. His best friend had finally come over, but he had stopped short when he noticed the expression painted across the freckled face. “Ron?”

“I think we need to talk Harry,” The redhead informed with crossed arms and a defiant look. “We need to talk about how you’ve been a horrible friend to me.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes I know it's short but man this note will be long enough to cover for it.
> 
> First, I decided to take a break during the holidays seeing as I was handmaking Christmas gifts. That was hectic but hey it's the holidays and I have seven Christmases. It then went downhill. It turns out that ironically enough I have endometriosis, didn't know this when I wrote Hermione down, I figured it out when I switch BC. The dr said I was pretty much unknowingly treating myself for 8 years and when I switched to a non-estrogen option it just came back. Yay, that also messed with so much and now I have a new allergy from that. (Boo lax tax)
> 
> My BF got a job in a new state, which yay! But also put me in a bit of a hard spot seeing as I was happy at my job but now needed to look for another one. I told my project coordinator that 'hey this is going on, I don't want to blindside you but yeah in the future I will be leaving when I get something set up.' No big deal, I told them I would stay until I had a job, seeing as I was constantly doing OT and coming in extra for my design project I thought that I was a strong asset to the team. I ended up taking PTO one Friday to go to Minnesota and look at new apartments with my BF. I ended up getting sick on the way home and just went to work late on Monday. Well, apparently me taking a PTO day made me 'undependable' in my boss's eyes when he found out. That Monday when I left they let me know I wouldn't be coming back. I bawled my eyes out. There was no warning or anything. They had told me they accepted my resignation, one that I had never given. Then again Iowa is an at-will to work state so they are allowed to do that. When the other employees learned that, they were pissed. They no longer felt safe in their positions and just felt that they were disposable. I think all of them still work there but from what I heard the overall atmosphere has changed since I left. 
> 
> Now, I'm in my new apartment. I've had a couple of phone interviews and actually had a second interview with one place and I really really hope it works out. I'm a busy body and just enjoy being at work. Not being at a job had made me super depressed and it just a very bad vibe all around. My BF struggles with trying to help me and not being able to. I'm worried about my student loans and other things but my BF has already offered to help me now since he's making decent money. As an independent individual, it's just extremely hard for me. 
> 
> Thank you for your patience.

**Author's Note:**

> This will be updated every other Friday. Please check out my other fanfic 'The Questions We Wonder' updated every Tuesday.


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